When Huaiyue opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on an unfamiliar bed.

Before he could even see his surroundings clearly, he felt a dull pain in his chest and couldn't help but cough.

A pair of hands reached over from the side, touched his forehead, and said in a deep voice, "The fever has subsided."

Huaiyue recognized the voice all too well. He smiled instinctively and glanced at the voice: "I had a very long and beautiful dream."

"What did you dream about?" The man's voice was low and restrained, completely devoid of his previous loss of control and breakdown.

“I dreamt…” Huaiyue propped herself up, wrapped one arm around the man’s neck, and pulled him down.

He whispered in the other's ear like a seductive spell, "I dreamt that I dragged you down to hell with me..."

"This dream is hard to come true," Song heard. He put his arm around Huaiyue's arm, tucked her back into the blanket, and made sure the corners of the blanket were secure.

Huaiyue's gaze followed his movements: "Why? Because you, sir, do not wish to die?"

Song didn't answer, seemingly agreeing. Huaiyue found it boring, clicked her tongue, and closed her eyes.

The next instant, soft lips landed on his brow, and Song Ting grasped his hand that was sticking out from under the covers, gently caressing it:

"Come home with me tomorrow."

"Impossible!" Huaiyue suddenly opened her eyes. "Does Your Excellency know why I jumped from that building?"

Song Ting didn't want to recall that scene at all. She closed her eyes and said with difficulty, "I know."

“Then you should understand, sir, that I would rather die than go with you. I have no home left.”

"And all of this is thanks to you, sir."

“I will provide you with a house. If you do not wish to see me, I will not appear before you, but you must come back with me,” Song Ting insisted.

Huaiyue smiled gently: "Does Your Excellency think that I am unwilling to leave because I do not want to see you?"

"..."

Huaiyue lowered her eyes and smiled: "That's one reason, but there's an even more important one."

Song Ting: "What?"

“I’m living a life of luxury at the Drunken Spring Pavilion. Countless high-ranking officials and nobles are willing to spend a fortune on me. I’m very happy and have no desire to be trapped in your golden cage.”

These words struck a nerve with the man, and Song Ting's face, which had been trying hard to suppress its emotions and remained expressionless, suddenly darkened.

He approached Huaiyue directly, and as their foreheads touched, he asked in a deep voice:

"Are they as illustrious as I am?"

His tone sounded fierce, but he was actually like a child who couldn't win over an adult, acting unruly and unreasonable.

Huaiyue was immediately amused, kissed the other person's swollen eyelids, and laughed, "Of course not."

Song opened her mouth, then heard Huaiyue say, "But so what?"

“My lord knows better than I do that a person’s heart can change. Today you want me, but tomorrow you might want me dead.”

"I don't want to be a caged bird in the deep mansion, relying on you to survive."

"Compared to others, Zuichunlou is better. If one nobleman gets tired of me, another nobleman will always find me good."

He seemed to be deliberately trying to hurt Song Ting, each word piercing his heart.

"When my beauty fades and love wanes, and I can no longer gain any favor with this face, I will hang myself in the building with a three-foot-long white silk ribbon."

"In this way, one's life has not been in vain."

"I won't allow it..." Song Ting hugged him tightly, so tightly that she almost crushed Huaiyue.

Huaiyue was in so much pain that her palms were sweating, but she didn't resist and let the man hold her.

"I won't let you die..."

"I will never let anyone hurt you or covet you again, unless I die," the man vowed. "But you must come with me."

What if I say no?

The commander's arms trembled violently, and he was on the verge of collapse again. Huaiyue cupped his face and gently touched the corner of his lips with her thin lips.

Despite the intimate gesture, the words spoken cut like knives into Song Ting's heart: "Does Your Excellency want to force me to jump again?"

Huaiyue's intimacy was certainly not genuine; he was merely deliberately stringing Song Ting along and tormenting her, something Song Ting knew all too well.

Normally, he might indulge Huaiyue's whims, letting her do whatever she wanted as long as it made him happy.

But at this moment, Song Ting suddenly didn't want to do that anymore; he wanted this person.

This was a treasure he had lost and then regained; he wished he could have it ingrained in his very being. How could he possibly remain unmoved by Huaiyue's advances?

He leaned over and cupped Huaiyue's face in his hands. As expected, Huaiyue leaned back slightly and placed her palms against Song Ting's chest, creating distance between them.

Song Ting, however, did not allow him to have his way. She quickly flipped onto the bed and trapped Huaiyue in her arms.

“You…” Even through the blanket, Huaiyue could clearly feel the changes in the man.

He paused briefly, then smiled, "I thought you thought I was dirty and didn't want me."

"You're not allowed to say that." Song Ting's eyes reddened again, and she leaned down to bite Huaiyue's lips. "My Mingyu is a celestial being descended from heaven, the purest person in the world."

My Mingyu is a celestial being who descended to earth to save me; she is pure and untouched by worldly dust, and should not be tainted by someone like me.

There was a time when someone knelt at his feet, piously saying similar things.

But the face that had once captivated him was becoming increasingly blurred amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Huaiyue used a little force to push the man away from her, saying as if she didn't care at all:

"But even gods die and become corrupt. The person you loved, sir, is long dead, killed by your own hands. Have you forgotten, sir?"

"Now before you, sir, is a vengeful ghost that has crawled out of hell to claim your life. Aren't you afraid, sir?"

"I'm not afraid." Song Ting caught up with him and kept kissing him.

"Whether it's a god or a vengeful ghost, whether it's human or ghost, it doesn't matter, I want them all, they're all mine."

“I will not let this happen again. You have to stay under my nose, every single moment.”

His devout expression and tone made it seem as if he truly felt a deep affection.

"So the master was lying to me just now," Huaiyue said.

Song asked, puzzled, "Huh?"

"Your Excellency clearly stated that if I did not wish to, you would no longer appear before me. How can you be so domineering and unreasonable now?" Huaiyue smiled brightly.

Song Ting kissed his outstretched palm, her eyes bloodshot: "I regret it. You have to be mine."

Huaiyue snorted, laughed, and spoke sarcastically:

"Things have really changed. They can even break their promises so brazenly. Five years ago, they would at least have shed a few fake tears."

He tried to dodge, but Song Ting held him down with her arm and grabbed his flailing arm with her other hand, raising it above her head.

The kiss fell urgently, kissing Huaiyue's delicate eyebrows, eyes, and nose, and finally landing on her lips.

"That's not how it is, Mingyu."